Perceived Ease of Practice

The indicator assesses the proportion of targeted group members who think that it is relatively easy to practice the desired behaviour. Such information is important, as people who think that practicing a behaviour is fairly easy are more likely to do so.

Determine the indicator's value using the following methodology:

1) Decide who you will collect the data from: from people who are already practicing the behaviour (the ‘Doers’), from people who are not practicing the behaviour (the ‘Non-Doers’) or from both:

    - Collecting data from Doers can help you understand how difficult it is for them to practice the behaviour, as they report based on their personal experience. This experience is likely to influence their ability and willingness to continue practicing the behaviour in the long-term.

    - On the other hand, interviewing Non-Doers will give you data that is primarily based on their assumptions of how difficult it is to practice the behaviour (unless they have already had previous experience practicing the behaviour). While such assumptions might be ‘incorrect’ (due to Non-Doers’ lack of experience), they are still very important, as they tend to have a major influence on whether the Non-Doers are likely to adopt the behaviour. 

    - Collecting data from both groups helps you understand the perspectives of both Doers and Non-Doers. However, since each group gives you different types of data (experience versus assumptions), it is recommended that you do not mix the resulting data. Instead, report separately on the percentage of Doers and Non-Doers who think that practicing the behaviour is relatively easy. If you decide to interview both Doers and Non-Doers, it will need to be addressed in your sampling strategy, to ensure that a sufficient number of Doers and Non-Doers is interviewed.

2) Conduct individual interviews with a representative sample of your target group members:

   - First, assess whether or not the respondent already practices the behaviour (take advantage of various guides provided in relevant sections of IndiKit). If you intend to measure the perceptions of Non-Doers, assess whether they are aware of the behaviour (only people who are aware of the behaviour should be asked about the ease-of-use; others are not likely to give a meaningful answer).

   - Next, assess the respondent’s perception of how easy or difficult it is to practice the behaviour (A1 below).

   - Additionally, it is recommended to assess the reasons for her/his opinion (A2 below). In the case of Doers, it is also recommended to assess what could make practicing the behaviour easier (A3 below).

Q1: “In your opinion, how easy or difficult is it to [specify the behaviour]? Would you say that it is very easy, quite easy, a bit difficult or very difficult?”

A1: very easy; quite easy; a bit difficult; very difficult; does not know.

(the following questions are not mandatory but are highly recommended; ask only if the previous answer is ‘a bit difficult’ or ‘very difficult’)

Q2: “Why do you think that it is difficult to [specify the behaviour]?” Probe: “Anything else that makes it difficult?”

A2: provide pre-defined answers + option ‘other – specify: ………………’

Q3: “What would make it easier for you to [specify the behaviour]?” Probe: “What else would make it easier?”; “Anything else?”

A3: provide pre-defined answers + option ‘other – specify: ………………’

3) To calculate the indicator’s value:

- count the number of respondents who stated that the behaviour is either very easy or quite easy to practice;

- divide this by the total number of respondents (excluding those who did not know)

- multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage

Disaggregate the data by whether the respondent is already practicing the behaviour, by gender, wealth category and any other relevant criteria (e.g. age group).  

1) It is important that you assess the main reasons why some people think that it is not easy to practice the behaviour. Such information can help your intervention focus on addressing the (real or perceived) factors that make practicing the behaviour difficult.

2) Keep in mind that the ‘ease of practice’ might be prone to seasonal differences. For example, feeding a diverse diet to young children might be easy in the post-harvest period but difficult during the lean season. If you need to compare the indicator’s value at two different points of time, ensure that the times are actually comparable.

3) When interviewing Non-Doers, it is recommended that the enumerators explain to the respondents that if they do not know how easy or difficult it is to practice the behaviour, it is perfectly fine if they say so. This will reduce the risk of Non-Doers saying something just because they feel like they should say it.